General Warm-up8 min
row
5 min steady · zone2 conversational
Easy pace, ~130 bpm for 5 min.
treadmill (backward, incline)
3 min steady · zone2 conversational
15% incline, 3 km/h, walking backward.
Mobility Primer6 min
Hip-flexor PAILs/RAILs (couch-stretch position)
External video — Couch Stretch PAIL RAILS TUTORIAL by SJC Physiotherapy.
How to do it
- Setup
- Kneeling lunge: rear knee down, rear foot up against a wall or bench behind you. Front foot flat on the floor, well out in front. Torso tall, ribs stacked directly over your pelvis — not leaning back.
- Execution
- PAIL: squeeze the rear glute and drive that knee down into the pad, ramping the effort up over 5-10s, hold at peak, release over 5s. RAIL: immediately try to drag the same knee forward off the pad against your own resistance, hold 5-10s. That's one rep. Repeat for the prescribed reps, then switch sides.
- Common error
- Arching the lower back to lean the hips forward and fake extra range — the stretch has to come from the front of the rear hip, not from your spine. Keep the ribs stacked down over the pelvis the whole time.
- Feel
- A building stretch through the front of the rear hip/quad during the PAIL, real muscular effort during the RAIL. Dull ache is fine. A sharp pinch in the right hip means back off the depth now, don't push through it.
Couch-stretch position. Ramp to 40-50% effort over 5-10s, hold peak 5-10s, release 5s (PAIL); immediately RAIL, draw the knee forward against resistance, hold 5-10s. 2 reps/side.
2 reps/side · ramp 20s, hold 8s · effort RPE 5-6 · rest 0:30-1:00
Prescribed: 2 reps/side · ramp 20s, hold 8s · effort RPE 5-6 · rest 0:30-1:00
Banded Hip Distraction
External video — Banded Hip Distraction by The Active Life.
How to do it
- Setup
- Loop a heavy band around a low, sturdy anchor (a rack post works well). Step into the band so it sits high in the hip crease of the working leg, facing the anchor, then walk backward away from it until there is strong, obvious tension pulling that hip straight back toward the anchor.
- Execution
- Sink into a shallow squat or split-stance lunge on the banded side, letting the band's pull gently distract — open a small gap in — the hip joint. Rock or shift gently through a few positions for the prescribed time, breathing normally throughout.
- Common error
- Standing too close to the anchor so there is little or no real band tension — the whole point is the joint distraction, not just standing near a band. If you can't feel a clear backward pull on the hip, step further away.
- Feel
- A gentle "opening" sensation deep in the hip joint, not a muscular stretch — this is a joint-capsule mobilization, different from the muscle stretches elsewhere in the primer. No sharp pinch; if the right hip sharpens, step closer to the anchor to reduce the pull rather than stopping outright.
Light — 1 set, 20s each side.
20s/side hold · rest 0:15
Prescribed: 20s/side hold · rest 0:15
Cat-Cow
External video — Cat Cow - Exercise Library by London Strength .
How to do it
- Setup
- Hands and knees. Wrists stacked under shoulders, knees stacked under hips.
- Execution
- Let your breath set the tempo, one full breath per position. Inhale into Cow: let the belly sink, lift the chest and tailbone, eyes look slightly up. Exhale into Cat: push the floor away, round the spine, tuck the chin toward your chest and the tailbone under, eyes look toward your navel. Flow smoothly from one checkpoint to the other for the prescribed reps.
- Common error
- Stopping in the rounded Cat position and holding it — the drill is the full alternation between both checkpoints, timed to the breath, not a static round-back stretch.
- Feel
- A smooth wave travels the full length of the spine each direction, checkpoint to checkpoint — eyes up and belly low at one end, chin tucked and spine rounded at the other. No sharp catching anywhere in the back.
Spinal prep for the hinge — 10 reps.
2 × 10 · rest 0:10
Prescribed: 10 · rest 0:10
Prescribed: 10 · rest 0:10
Single-leg RDL (bodyweight pattern rehearsal)
Showing: Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift — closest verified demo. Shows the Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift performed with load. The primer's "bodyweight pattern rehearsal" is the identical hip-hinge pattern performed with empty hands, purely to groove the balance and hinge before the loaded Romanian Deadlift work later in the session.
Bodyweight pattern rehearsal — feel the hinge, not a working set. 1s pause at the bottom of each rep.
2 × 6/side @ RPE 3 · rest 0:20
Prescribed: 6/side @ RPE 3 · rest 0:20
Prescribed: 6/side @ RPE 3 · rest 0:20
Main Lift — Conventional Deadlift14 min
Conventional Deadlift
Easy, full reset every rep. Right hip: dull ache is fine, sharp or pinching pain means stop the rep and reduce range/effort. Right hip: dull ache is fine, sharp pinch means stop — shorten the range or switch to a rack pull from just below the knee for the rest of the session.
2 × 5 @ RPE 5-6 · tempo 1-0-2-0 · rest 2:00 → 3 @ RPE 7-8 · tempo 1-0-2-0 · rest 2:30
Prescribed: 5 @ RPE 5-6 · tempo 1-0-2-0 · rest 2:00
Prescribed: 5 @ RPE 5-6 · tempo 1-0-2-0 · rest 2:00
Prescribed: 3 @ RPE 7-8 · tempo 1-0-2-0 · rest 2:30
Accessories (light)20 min
Barbell Row — Bent-over
Easy.
2 × 8 @ RPE 6 · tempo 1-0-2-0 · rest 2:00
Prescribed: 8 @ RPE 6 · tempo 1-0-2-0 · rest 2:00
Prescribed: 8 @ RPE 6 · tempo 1-0-2-0 · rest 2:00
DB Row (single-arm, bench-supported)
Easy, still hold the 2s squeeze.
2 × 8/side @ RPE 6 · tempo 2-0-2-2 · rest 1:30
Prescribed: 8/side @ RPE 6 · tempo 2-0-2-2 · rest 1:30
Prescribed: 8/side @ RPE 6 · tempo 2-0-2-2 · rest 1:30
Lat Pulldown (wide-grip)
Light.
2 × 10 @ RPE 6 · tempo 2-0-2-0 · rest 1:30
Prescribed: 10 @ RPE 6 · tempo 2-0-2-0 · rest 1:30
Prescribed: 10 @ RPE 6 · tempo 2-0-2-0 · rest 1:30
Barbell Shrug
Light.
2 × 12 @ RPE 6 · tempo 2-0-2-0 · rest 1:00
Prescribed: 12 @ RPE 6 · tempo 2-0-2-0 · rest 1:00
Prescribed: 12 @ RPE 6 · tempo 2-0-2-0 · rest 1:00
Mobility Finisher9 min
90/90 shin-box PAILs/RAILs
External video — Hip Mobility Drill: The Shin Box by Balance In Motion.
How to do it
- Setup
- Same 90/90 shin-box seat as the primer drill — front shin across your body, back shin behind you. Settle onto one side and stay there; this is a hold, not the switching flow.
- Execution
- PAIL: press the front shin/knee down into the floor, ramping the effort over 5-10s, hold the peak, release over 5s. RAIL: immediately lift that same shin/knee back up off the floor against your own resistance, hold 5-10s. That's one rep. Repeat for the prescribed reps, then switch which leg is in front and repeat on the other side.
- Common error
- Rushing the ramp instead of building it over the full 5-10 seconds, or letting the torso collapse forward to fake extra depth — sit tall throughout.
- Feel
- A deep, controllable stretch through the front hip during the PAIL, real muscular effort during the RAIL. Dull ache is fine and expected. A sharp pinch in the right hip crease means back off the depth immediately.
40-50% effort, 2 reps/side.
2 reps/side · ramp 20s, hold 8s · effort RPE 5-6 · rest 0:30-1:00
Prescribed: 2 reps/side · ramp 20s, hold 8s · effort RPE 5-6 · rest 0:30-1:00
Couch Stretch
External video — Couch Stretch by Functional Bodybuilding.
How to do it
- Setup
- Kneeling lunge, rear shin up against a wall or couch/bench behind you, rear foot pointing up. Front foot flat on the floor, well out in front. Torso tall, ribs stacked over the pelvis.
- Execution
- Squeeze the rear glute to sink the hip forward and deepen the stretch. Hold completely still for the full prescribed time. This is a finisher drill only — never do it before lifting.
- Common error
- Arching the lower back to bring the torso closer to vertical instead of actually moving the hip forward — this fakes depth without touching the hip flexor. Keep the ribs pulled down and let the glute squeeze do the work.
- Feel
- A steady, building stretch through the front of the rear hip and thigh that should ease slightly the longer you hold it. Dull ache is normal. A sharp pinch in the right hip means come out of the position, don't fight it.
Passive hold, 75s each side.
75s/side hold · rest 0:15
Prescribed: 75s/side hold · rest 0:15
Pigeon Stretch
External video — PIGEON STRETCH by Atomic Athlete.
How to do it
- Setup
- Front leg bent, shin angled across your body with the front foot pointing toward the opposite hip. Back leg extended long behind you. Hips square to the floor, not twisted or hiked to one side.
- Execution
- Fold your torso forward over the front shin, letting your weight sink down. Hold still, breathing, for the full prescribed time.
- Common error
- Letting the hips rotate or hike up to force the front knee flatter — this fakes extra rotation from the hip instead of finding it honestly. Keep the hips square first, and accept whatever depth that leaves you with.
- Feel
- A deep stretch on the outside of the front hip and glute. A sharp pinch in the front of the hip crease means the angle is too aggressive — back the front shin off toward a less rotated position.
Passive hold, 60s each side.
60s/side hold · rest 0:15
Prescribed: 60s/side hold · rest 0:15